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Best friends + Christmas ornaments = A tradition that sparkles
I love sharing the holidays with my best friend. We’ve been friends for so long now, we’ve gone through so many holidays together, and we always pick out a new matching ornament to hang on our trees. It’s become our thing, you know? Every time I decorate my tree and pull out our collection of matching ornaments, I can’t help but smile thinking about each memory they represent.
Last year, we found these adorable little coffee cup ornaments that were absolutely perfect for us – they reminded us of all our coffee dates and late-night chats. I hung mine right in the front of my tree where I can see it every morning when I’m having my actual coffee. My bestie texted me a photo of hers in the same spot on her tree, and it just made my whole day.
Why I Love Best Friend Ornaments So Much
Here’s the thing about having matching ornaments with your best friend – it’s like having a little piece of them with you during the holidays, even if you can’t be together. My best friend moved a few states away last year (still not over it!), but knowing we have the same special ornaments on our trees makes me feel so much closer to her.
Every ornament tells a story. There’s the sparkly snowflake from the year we got snowed in together and had an impromptu movie marathon. The tiny camera ornament from when we took that crazy road trip. The matching penguins wearing scarves from the winter we both learned to knit (and failed miserably, but hey, at least we tried!).
DIY Adventures (Some More Successful Than Others!)
Can I tell you about the time we tried to make our own ornaments? We decided to get crafty last Christmas, and let me share what I learned – salt dough is NOT as easy as TikTok makes it look! We spent an entire afternoon trying to make these adorable matching cookie-shaped ornaments, and they ended up looking more like blob monsters than anything else. But you know what? They’re still some of our favorites because we laughed so hard making them.
If you want to try making your own (hopefully with better results than ours!), here are some ideas that actually worked for us:
- Photo ornaments using those clear fillable balls (super easy and so personal!)
- Painted wooden initials covered in glitter (warning: the glitter will be everywhere for months)
- Tiny memory jars filled with ticket stubs and photos
- Matching painted baubles (just grab some plain ones and some paint pens)
Starting Your Own Bestie Ornament Tradition
If you’re thinking about starting this tradition with your best friend (which, honestly, you totally should), here’s what I’ve learned over the years:
- Don’t stress about making them perfect. Some of our “ugliest” ornaments have the best stories behind them.
- Take pictures of both your trees with the ornaments. It’s so fun to look back at how your collection grows.
- Set a date to exchange them. We do it every December 1st so we can enjoy them all season long.
When You’re Miles Apart
Since my bestie moved away, we’ve had to get creative with our ornament tradition. Now we do a video call while we’re decorating our trees, and we always position our matching ornaments in spots where we can see them during our FaceTime sessions. Sometimes we’ll even coordinate which ones we’re hanging each year so our trees have the same “friendship zone.”
Why This Tradition Means So Much
You know those friendship bracelets we all had as kids? This is like the grown-up version, but better because it comes with all the magic of the holiday season. Every ornament is a little time capsule of our friendship, marking another year of being in each other’s lives.
Some people might think it’s silly to get so excited about Christmas ornaments, but I think those people just haven’t experienced the joy of texting your best friend “GUESS WHAT I JUST PULLED OUT OF MY DECORATION BOX!” and getting back a picture of the matching ornament on their tree.
So if you’re looking for a way to make the holidays even more special with your best friend, try starting an ornament tradition. Trust me, in a few years, you’ll have a tree full of memories that make you smile every time you look at them.
And to my best friend who I know reads my blog – yes, I already bought this year’s ornaments, and no, I’m not giving you any hints. But I can tell you that when I saw them, I literally squealed in the middle of the store. You’re going to love it! ✨
